Lower limb muscle strength is associated with functional performance and quality of life in patients with systemic sclerosis

This research transversal, analytical, exploratory and quantitative approach aimed to identify the quality of life of women who have had a mastectomy surgery, relate the results with the strength of the upper limb muscle affected and draw a sociofunctional profile. A total of 10 women participated, from 30 to 60 years old, who underwent to unilateral modified radical mastectomy in a medium-sized hospital in an inner city of Rio Grande do Sul, for at least one year from the date of data collection. The strength of the upper limb muscle was evaluated by manual testing and the handgrip was tested with the dynamometer. A sociofunctional questionnaire was applied and the quality of life data were collected through the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 questionnaire, followed by the module BR-23. The strength had decreased in all muscle groups homolateral to the surgery. The life quality in a global health bases resulted as regular. The main changes found in the functionality were at scales: emotional, cognitive and sexual. Statistically, it was found significance and correlation between physical health and social function (p=0.04; r=0.65), cognition and functional performance (p=0.01; r=0.75), emotional performance and cognition (p=0.005; r=0.9) and between handgrip of the affected limb with the global health (p=0.008; r=0.77). Breast cancer and mastectomy has a direct impact on the upper limb muscle strength, functionality and on life quality of women, in sexual, cognitive and emotional domains, and physiotherapy plays an important role in the rehabilitation and in social rehabilitation of these.

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The effect of inspiratory muscle training on the quality of life, immune response, inspiratory and lower limb muscle strength of older adults: a randomized controlled trial

Revista Brasileira de Geriatria e Gerontologia ◽

10.1590/1981-22562019022.190157 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

Author(s):

Adriano Florencio Vilaça ◽

Bárbara Cristina de Souza Pedrosa ◽

Thamara Cunha Nascimento Amaral ◽

Maria do Amparo Andrade ◽

Célia Maria Machado Barbosa de Castro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Muscle Strength ◽

Lower Limb ◽

Inspiratory Muscle ◽

Limb Muscle ◽

Muscle Training ◽

Sf 36 ◽

Lower Limb Strength

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the impact of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on the quality of life, immune response, inspiratory and lower limb muscle strength of older adults. Method: A randomized clinical trial was conducted with 30 institutionalized older adults. They were allocated into two groups: the IMT group (n=15), which underwent IMT with PowerBreathe Classic, using a load of 60% of maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP). This was performed using a 30 repetition protocol, three times a week, for six weeks. The second group was the control group (n=15) which did not perform any type of therapeutic intervention. In both groups, MIP, lower limb strength by sit-up test, quality of life by the SF-36 questionnaire and C-reactive protein (CRP) were evaluated. Results: The results demonstrated the homogeneity between the groups regarding the demographic and clinical variables. The IMT group showed an increase in the variation of MIP (9.20±7.36 cmH2O) compared to the control (0.93±8.79 cmH2O). Improvement was also observed in the sitting and standing test (p<0.05) (Tukey Test) in the difference between the values before and after the IMT. In terms of quality of life, two of the eight SF-36 domains were influenced by the IMT, namely: functional capacity and limitations due to physical factors. There were no changes in CRP in either group. Conclusion: IMT improved the inspiratory muscle strength, lower limb strength and quality of life of institutionalized older adults. These findings reinforce the contribution of this therapy to reducing the deleterious effects of aging.

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